


Cyberpunk 2078: Time Is The Enemy

by Doorman



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comfort, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Fear of Death, Friendship, Hurt, Love, Male V (Cyberpunk 2077), Multi, Other, Romance, Street Kid V (Cyberpunk 2077), The Star Ending (Cyberpunk 2077), Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:53:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29917875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doorman/pseuds/Doorman
Summary: (A Post-Star Ending Story)It's been about three months since I left Night City with Panam and The Aldecaldos to find a cure for my head, but we've been running into dead ends lately; I don't know how much time I have left, but I want to make sure every moment matters, if they are my last.
Relationships: Panam Palmer & V, Panam Palmer/V
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	1. Diesel and Dust

_I've had an interesting life, Dad wasn't around, Mom overdosed, I was a orphan by the time I was 6, wasn't involved in any of the gangs in Night City but I ran a few jobs between all of them to keep myself off the streets, figured I'd try and hit it big in Atlanta but that didn't end well and I ended up right where I started, right back in Night City._

_Everything changed when I met Jackie, we were trying to klep the same car, choom had a gun to my head before the NCPD swarmed in, beat us pretty bad, but after that Jackie and I went and got some food and we became fast friends, ran a lot of gigs together, was roommates for awhile, met his family and his girlfriend Misty, he was the closest thing I've had to a brother; we always talked about making it to the big leagues, then Dexter DeShawn happened..._

_Gave us a gig, steal some relic from Arasaka and we'd have the whole world in our hands, but fate is a real kick in the head, Jackie got shot and left the relic to me before he died, not long after that... I died, Dex had to cover his tracks and shot me in the head, but karma hit him quick._

_I woke up in a scrap yard and that relic became a curse real quick, the engram of Johnny Silverhand was on the relic and was slowly killing me, and from then on, I had to save myself or else Johnny would have complete control of my body, essentially a second life._

_Johnny was a real asshole at first, wanted me to kill myself but it didn't take him long to realize he could use me, he had a vendetta against Arasaka and wanted to me to be a flesh taxi to get revenge, all I wanted to do was get him out of my head, except ripping out that relic would flatline me fast; but the more he was in there, in my head, the more we learned about each other, and by the end, he hated the idea of taking over my body, he wanted me to live._

_From there I had to find a solution, met some interesting people, became good friends with a few people: Judy Alvarez, a BD editor who got burned by NC far to many times, last I heard she was in Seattle with her grandparents, I hope she's doing well, I miss her a lot; Kerry Eurodine, one of Johnny's old band mates from Samurai, guy was a train wreck when we met but he came around and got his life on track; River Ward, helped him save his nephew from a serial killer who kidnapped him, he reminded me of Jackie sometimes; Goro Takemura, he was Soburo Arasaka's personal guard, he helped me track down Hellman and Yorinobu's sister, Hanako, to see if Arasaka themselves could help me, I wouldn't say we're friends, at least not anymore, I just wish things could have been different between us, he was a good choom, loyal to a fault._

_Then there was Panam Palmer, I wouldn't have made it as far as I have if it wasn't for her and the Aldecaldos; she was just a merc when we first met, helped her get back in with her family and she helped me find Hellman, an Arasaka engineer who made the relic; but the thing was... I fell for her, she's strong, loyal, intelligent, kind of a hot head but that's her charm, she's the most beautiful woman I had ever met; I liked her a lot, and thankfully the feelings were mutual._

_With her help, along with the Aldecaldos, they helped me get inside Mikoshi to cure this tumor inside my head; An AI who took the image of Alt Cunningham, Johnny's Ex, managed to remove Johnny from the relic, but the damage was done, she told me I had six months, maybe more, to live; Johnny told me to go back, to "Never Stop Fighting", and so I did, he went beyond the Blackwall and I returned to my body._

_As soon as I told Panam that, she immediately made plans to head out to Arizona, she told me that the Aldecaldos had connections that could help cure me; if it meant a chance to live my life, not just for me, but to live with Panam longer, I had to take it._

_It's been three months since then, and unfortunately, we've run into dead ends; some of her contacts wanted nothing to do with Arasaka tech, some had no idea what to do or even what it was; Panam's been overworking herself, not only with leading the family but also trying to find a cure; all I can hope is that we're not too late._

* * *

**_February 26th 2078_ **

_We had set up camp near an old, abandoned house just outside Mesa, we used the house for a shelter from sand storms as well as a storage for any gear and supplies we have; its sturdy and reliable, but it shows its age at times._

"Could you run the engine again, V?" Mitch said underneath the hood of a car that we were fixing up for one of the runners, there was a distinct rattling sound not just from the engine but from somewhere else.

"That doesn't sound good" I said stepping on the gas pedal

"Nope, it doesn't, come take a look" Mitch said, I left the engine running as I walked next to mitch to check out the damage; "Couplings blown, engines shot... literally, and a couple of the wires are loose; luckily we've got spare engines that fit this rig and everything else is a quick fix"

 _Before we could get to work on the car, a smashing sound could be heard from within the house followed by_ "FUCK!"

Mitch and I looked at each other for a split second, "I'll go check it out" I said

_As I made my way to the house, I could hear sobbing on the other side of the door, I pushed the door open to see Panam sitting on a chair with her face in her hands_

"Panam, everything okay?" I said as I put my hand on her shoulder, she looked up to me with tears rolling down her face

"V" Panam said before she hugged me tight, still sobbing as I wrapped my arms around her; at that moment, I knew what had happened, I couldn't force myself to say that everything will be alright because to her, this was something she feared, "I am so sorry, V".

"You don't have to apologize; we'll figure something out, we always do" I said holding Panam as we remained quiet for a while before she let go

"I need some time to myself" Panam said looking at the floor

"Are you sure?" I said as she nodded, "Alright, well come talk to me later if you want to talk about it" 

"I will, thank you" Panam said as I hugged her and gave her a kiss on her forehead before I left

_As I left the house, I could see Cassidy walking up to me_

"Everything alright in there, V?" Cassidy said with both hands on his belt

"If I was to guess, the worst case scenario just happened" I said looking at the ground before looking up at Cassidy

"I'm sorry to hear about that V, but knowing Panam, this won't stop her, she'll keep trying to find a cure for you" Cassidy said before putting a hand on my shoulder

"I know, I just worry about her is all; with making sure the family is safe and finding this cure for my head, I'm just scared she'll be working herself into exhaustion, I wish there was some way I could help her." I said

"You're already helping her V, just sticking in there is giving her enough energy to keep going" Cassidy says "She cares about you V, everyone here is family, but you're her family"

"I know" I said with a somber smirk on my face

_After talking to Cassidy, I went back to helping Mitch with the car, he didn't ask about what happened in the house but I have a feeling he knew; By the time we installed the new engine, it was getting dark, I got some food and sat with Carol and a few others but I couldn't find Panam._

* * *

_**Later that night** _

_As time went on, there was no Panam in sight, I saw a guitar near the lone camp fire and something compelled me to start playing it, I sat on a couch and started playing cords and notes I didn't know on an instrument I've never played._

"I Didn't know you knew how to play" Panam said coming up from behind me as she took a seat beside me, I was a cold night but she wasn't wearing her jacket

"To tell you the truth, I don't; never played a guitar in my life" I said strumming the guitar "Must've been a going away present from Johnny or something"

"That's one hell of a gift" Panam said "Can we talk?"

"I was hoping I could Serenade you under the stars, It's a beautiful night" I said with smirk on my face

"Fuck V, are you sweet talking me again?" Panam said as she started to laugh "Maybe another time, just not tonight"

"Alright" I said laughing as I put away the guitar and sat closer to her " How are ya feeling?"

"I could be better, but I'm fine now that I've had some time to think" Panam said staring at the ground "My last contact fell through, same reason as Raul in Phoenix, didn't want to be on Arasaka's radar for tampering with their tech; I am so sorry, V, I promised you I would clear that head of yours, but I just..."

"I know, we'll figure something out" I said as I put my arm around her "Just let me know if you need any help, I'm here for you"

"But that's thing, V, what if we can not find another lead?" Panam said "I don't want to think about the possibility, but what happens if we can't?"

"I don't know, I don't want to think about that either" I said "I don't want to lose this, lose them, lose you; I've never had a real family, and to be apart of all this, it makes me happy"

"You know, you haven't told me much about yourself, we've been together for four month and I still don't know anything about your past" Panam said as she looks up at me "What were your parents like?"

"Don't know, don't really have any memories of them, Mom died of an overdose when I was young, Dad left before I was born; I don't even know if I'm an only child" I said as began looking into her eyes "What about you?"

"My Mom was killed when I was young, we lived in a town just north of here, a group of raffens raided the town, my Dad tried everything he could to save her but it was too late, he buried her in Reno, her hometown; from then on we were on the road, it wasn't long until we joined the Aldecaldos, life was good back then; But then my Dad died during a job to get some medical supplies for the camp, I was 18 back then; there is not a day that goes by that I don't think about them, I wish they were here." Panam said as I saw a tear roll down her face

"I think they'd both be proud to see the woman you've become" I said

"You think so?" Panam said as she looked up at me with a smile

"Without a doubt" I said as I held her tightly "You're not cold?"

"No, not with you around" Panam said with a smirk

"Are you smooth talking me, Palmer?" I said as we both laughed

"It really is Beautiful night, isn't it?" Panam said as we both looked at the stars

"Yeah, it really is" I said

_As we looked up to the stars and fell asleep in each other's arms next to the warm campfire, I had two thoughts in mind: That this feeling, right here, right next to Panam, feeling loved, there's no better feeling than this; The other is how much I'll miss this, I really don't want to think about that, but it'll always be there, in the back of my head._

_I have to find a cure, I don't want to lose this feeling, I don't want to lose Panam._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It been quite a long time since I've written a fan-fiction, but I haven't been able to get Cyberpunk 2077 out of my head since I first played it so figured I would give it another go.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the first part of something I've been tinkering around in my head for awhile; I really enjoyed the relationship dynamic of Panam and V and I wanted to expand on that with a Post-Star Ending story.
> 
> I'm brand new to this site, so I'm still learning how to use all the tools this site has as well as doing this all on a phone as I don't have a PC at the time.


	2. Third Day of a Seven Day Binge

_It's been three days since... that day; I've been taking everything with stride, but with all that's been going on around the camp recently, everyone's been on edge; A few of our runners got injured pretty bad, a group of Wraith's ambushed them and they just barely made it back, they're lucky to be alive; Panam hasn't got much sleep lately and I can tell something's on her mind, I can't imagine what's running through her head; I've tried talking to her but she says that she's fine._

* * *

_**March 1st 2078**_

_As I woke up, I could feel a cool breeze within the tent, Panam was gone, probably doing a run, I got up from the cot and looked into the mirror, with my pale skin, unshaven stubble and shaggy hair, you could almost mistake me for a walking corpse, I took my meds that I take to suppress the side effects of my problem._

"I need to get a refill soon" I murmured to myself while I shook the pill bottle 

_Vik gave me a supply of these meds before I left Night City that help me remain stable, I rarely get any nosebleeds now that I've gotten used to them and it usually lasts me a day or two before I need another pill; I don't want to think about what would happen if I completely ran out._

_I put on my clothes and went to go get some coffee._

"Morning, V, sleep well?" Mitch said pouring a cup of coffee 

"Yeah, you?" I said as I also poured a cup 

"Fine as ever" Mitch said as he took a sip of his coffee "Panam and Carol went on a supply run, they should be back later" 

"Figured as much" I say as I took a sip from my coffee 

"Speaking of runs, Cass was looking for ya, said he needs an extra gun for a deal in Phoenix" Mitch said 

"Know where I can find him?" I said as he pointed at the guard post to the north "Alright, I'll talk to 'em after I wake up a bit; thanks for the heads up" 

_We talked for a bit longer, he told me he was working on new upgrades for the basilisk, I could only imagine what he's thought up, those upgrades he implemented during the Arasaka raid saved lives._

_As soon as I finished my coffee, I made my way to Cassidy, he look relaxed sitting in a chair looking towards the horizon._

"Mornin' V" Cassidy said taking a drag from his smoke as I leaned next to the fence beside him 

"Morning" I said "Mitch said you were looking for me, something about deal in Phoenix?" 

"Yup, looking to trade some of our Arasaka salvage to Militech for some supplies; Guns, Medical Supplies, Antibiotics and so on" Cassidy said as he finishes his smoke 

"Is it just us?" I asked 

"No, Luna, Brock, Carver and Owl will be coming with us; don't want Militech trying to pull a fast one on us" Cassidy says 

"So what's the plan?" I say as I cross my arms looking at him 

"Brock and I will be driving the convoy, You and Luna will be riding together behind us, Carver and Owl will lead; when we get to the spot, Owl will be on a roof to the south of us with the sniper, She'll be providing overwatch, Luna will guard the north entrance and Carver will be on the south entrance, You and Brock will be with me for the exchange; if everything goes smoothly, we should be back at camp by dusk, maybe a little later give or take" Cassidy said laying the plan out 

_The plan sounded well thought out with a good crew, Brock's reliable, he's Cassidy's go-to when he's on a run; only met Owl a few time, she's good with a sniper, really good; Carver's a newer choom, he was with the Bakkers before they were dissolved into Snake Nation or so the story goes, he came with someone else but I haven't met her yet; Luna's interesting, apparently she's an Aldecaldo by birth but was missing for years, she found her way back just before we left Night City for Arizona, she's pretty good with a gun but from I've seen she's more of a techie, kinda reminds me of Judy in a way._

"When are we leaving?" I said 

"In about an hour, gears already in the truck, just got to fill up the tank and we'll be heading out" Cassidy says before getting out of his chair "Cutler's taking over this post, if you need me, I'll be with the truck making sure everything's in order" 

"Sounds good, see you in an hour" I said as I went back to my tent to prep for the job 

_It's been a long time since I've been on a job, I've mostly been helping out around the camp, so to tag along on this run felt good._

_I opened up my old attache case, I mostly use disposable iron now and keep the serious weapons here, the first weapon on top was Johnny's Malorian Arms 3516, Guns stylish, no doubt about that... but his memories did not do this gun justice, I could clear a room faster with a Slaught-o-matic than I could with this thing; I should look into upgrading it one of these days, turn it into a real power house._

_After digging around for a bit I decided on the revolver River gave to me, Crash I think he called it, I grabbed a holster for the pistol and began heading out._

_As I made my way to Cassidy and the truck, I bumped it to Luna, her black, frizzy hair in a ponytail is hard to miss in a crowd, let alone an camp._

"Hey, you ready to do this?" Luna said nervously 

"Yeah, what about you?" I said 

"Yeah... yeah, I am, I'm just.. trying to shake off nerves is all" Luna said 

"We still got some time before we head out, take some deep breaths" I said trying to calm her down "If everythings preem, we should be done quick and not a single bullet shot, we should be fine" 

"And what if it goes to shit?" Luna asked 

"We'll be fine, Owls watching over us, Cassidy, Brock and I know how to take care of our selves and Carver..." I stopped to think for a bit "I'm not too sure about Carver yet, hopefully he's good; and I've seen you shoot, I'm sure you could handle it" 

"One could hope" Luna said "Come on, let's go" 

_Everyone for the job regrouped around the truck, Luna had calmed down, Owl had her rifle over her shoulder, Carver was leaning on his car and Brock was helping Cassidy make final preparations._

"Alright, everyone knows the plan?" Cassidy says as we all nod "Then let's roll out"

* * *

 _ **A few hours later**_

_We had made it to Phoenix, place looked like an absolute haven for ambushes; Carver had driven up ahead to get Owl in position while we were a few blocks away_

"Guys, Just a warning to keep your iron hot, Supplies are there but these guy look too bush league to be Militech" Owl said over the comms as she was scouting the area 

"I made an adjustment in case things go south, just give me a signal and I can provide cover" Carver said over the comms 

"Shit, I knew something was going to happen" Luna said in the passenger seat 

"Relax, we got a warning beforehand and we're adapting, we should be fine" I said as we made our way to the spot 

_As we pulled in, the only change to the plan was Carver, he's got an assist plan in case of a shootout, Owl was still on the roof and Luna was on the north side of the lot; There definitely was supplies, this would be good for the camp, but Owl was right, these guys didn't look like any Militech agents I've ever come across._

"Tech in the truck?" the main guy asked 

"Yup, Supplies in full?" Cassidy asked 

"Yeah, but let's make a deal" the main guy said "You give us the tech, we'll give you 35% of the rations AND we won't fire a single bullet" 

_These guys are definitely not Militech, they sound like your average Raffen trying to do an impression of a Militech agent._

"That deal seems pretty one sided, don't you think?" Cassidy proclaimed "Besides, we had agreed on a full trade" 

"Change of plans, we just need more than you; you'd be saving your people, we've got snipers all over the place, we could pick you gonks off one... by... one" he said pointing a finger gun at the three of us 

"False, not a single crow in a nest" Owl whispered into the comms 

"Tell you what..." Cassidy tried saying before he was interpreted 

"Tell ya h'what, that's the deal, either you take it or it's gonna start getting bloody real quick" the main guy said as it looked like his guys were getting ready to open fire 

_As things were starting to look like it was getting ugly, a loud tire screech could be heard, Carver had found a heavily fortified car we could you use as cover, he parked right in front of Brock, Cassidy and I as the shoot out began._

_Before I could get into cover, I got tagged twice, once in the right arm and once on the right shoulder._

"Shit!" I yelled in pain as I pulled out my pistol and returned fire 

_It looked like there was seven of them, Luna and Owl had the most secure cover while Brock, Cassidy, Carver and I had most of their attention, Luna was in the worst position for a sightline, but even with that, she managed to take one of the guys down; Owl had flatlined two guys in one shot, almost got a third with a ricochet but It just barely grazed him; I shimmied over to the front of our vehicle cover to see if there was anything of use; Before I could look, I saw one of their heads pop out of cover, I took a shot and shot him clean through the throat; Brock and Carver decided to move up, both of them carried shotguns so they could easily apply pressure, the main guy tried to run while the last two covered for him, Luna and Cassidy both shot at the runner until he was crawling while Brock and Carver easily blasted the other two, Cassidy walked up to the main guy, pointed his gun at him and shot him the head._

"We're clear" both Owl and Brock declared 

"Looks like we're keeping the tech, let's load the supplies onto the truck and get out of here" Cassidy ordered "V, Luna, check these guys out for anything we could use" 

"You gonna be okay?" Luna asked me 

"I will be when I get patched up; trust me, I've been through worse" I said before we started looting the bodies, there wasn't much besides ammo, eddies, gum and an expired condom. 

_With everything loaded into the truck, we made our way back to camp, Luna drove this time as I was trying to stop the bleeding from my wounds._

"You sure you're gonna be okay? I just don't want something like..." Luna asked before she paused 

"Like what?" I replied 

"It's... nothing, just a bad memory I keep thinking of whenever I go on a run. I'm just hoping your fine" Luna said 

"Don't worry, I'll be fine; but thanks for the concern, I appreciate it" I said as I leaned back into the seat and calmed myself 

_Luckily the damage wasn't too bad, don't think it hit anything vital. But what Luna said, bad memory of a run? Wonder what that's about; either way, it's none of my business, she's fine now and that's what matters._

* * *

_**Later that night**_

_We had returned back to camp, the job was a success, we managed to keep the tech and take all of the supplies, I got patched up and everything was peaceful again; From the looks of it, Panam and Carol weren't back at the camp; I had some dinner and as I was heading towards the tent to rest I could hear someone behind me yelling_ "V... V!" 

_It was Panam, before I could turn around and say something, she pushed me into the tent and kissed me._

"You are not going to believe it, V, I have a lead, a REAL lead" Panam said smiling at me "We're going to get the head of yours fixed"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter, I'm still kind of figuring things out with the site, so please bare with me.
> 
> This chapter is where I start to add original characters into the story to flesh out the world, and move the story forward.
> 
> I've also had an idea of adding a note at the start or end of the chapters saying what song/album the name of the chapter comes from as the chapters will follow the same naming method as the game did for the quests; if that's something that seems interesting, let me know.


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